The instant application should be granted the priority dates of Apr. 4, 2006, the filing date, of the corresponding German Patent application DE 10 2006 016 110.6, as well as Jan. 25, 2007, the filing, date of the International patent application PCT/EP2007/000631.
The present invention relates to a rack and pinion steering gear having a thrust piece or element which can be inserted in a steering gear housing or box for pressing a rack and pinion against each other.
A generic rack and pinion steering gear is known from EP 1 507 694 B1. The thrust piece of this steering gear comprises a pressure element for abutment against the rack, and a guide element that is partially slotted and can be spread apart and extends along the cylindrical inner wall of the receiving space. A resilient element is arranged between a stop and the pressure element and at its outer side that faces the inner wall of the receiving space is surrounded by the guide element. When the pressure element moves in the direction of the stop the resilient element tends to yield or expand in the radial direction, whereby the guide element is spread apart against the receiving space. This construction is complicated. Moreover, the required contact pressure is not guaranteed over time owing to the resilient element.
The object of the present invention is to provide a rack and pinion steering gear which is simple in terms of construction and compensates for wear of the parts.